France And The Agrifood Industry (Y093)

FRANCE AND THE AGRIFOOD INDUSTRY

[USPRwire, Mon Oct 13 2008] The world's population is fast approaching 8 billion people. Food prices are rising, and countries are struggling to equally distribute resources. These are the critical issues facing the agrifood industry today. France is world-renowned for its expertise in all things food, and its activity, specifically in the international agrifood industry, is equally reputable.

The agrifood industry includes not only the manufacture of agricultural equipment, production of consumables (such as fertilizers, seed and animal feed), but also the preparation and processing of both plant and animal products (including their storage, packaging, processing, preservation and distribution) and the utilization, processing and recycling of by-products and waste.

French expertise in food production is acknowledged and prized by foreign producers. Those established in France gain a distinct competitive advantage from their location. In particular, they can rely on a well-trained, adaptable, and highly productive workforce. The sector’s turnover in France is around EUR 214 billion (292 billion USD), of which EUR 154 million (210 million USD) relates to food processing. Income is growing between 5% and 7% annually. Second in the world after the United States, the sector employs 600,000 agricultural workers and 415,000 food industry employees. Exports valued at EUR 45.1 million (61.6 million USD), including EUR 33.4 million (45.6 million USD) relating solely to processed products, contribute to the French agrifood sector’s overall trade surplus (EUR 9.1 million [12.4 million USD] in 2007).

Philippe Favre, president of the Invest in France Agency, says, "Because agrifood and gastronomy have such a long and rich tradition here, France is the premier European agricultural producer and remains a recognized benchmark for world agriculture."

In addition to French national groups such as Danone, Lactalis, Bongrain, LVMH and Pernod Ricard, leading foreign firms such as Nestlé, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Heineken, General Mills and Haribo, among many others, have chosen France as their production and logistics platform for the European market, and the base for their global expansion. More recently, they have been joined by Cinquième Saison (salad and fresh products), a subsidiary of the Icelandic group Bakkavör, Danisco, with an R&D center specializing in fermentation products, Sakata Seeds (seed), Moy Park (poultry-based intermediate products), Ebly /Masterfoods (cereals) and McCormick (condiments).

The French agrifood industry is an environment that favors innovation transfer. It has 10,000 highly skilled engineers, researchers and technicians, and an R&D budget exceeding EUR 400 million (550 million USD). Interface between private businesses and public or private research bodies is provided by 15 internationally oriented competitiveness clusters:

Agrimip Innovation at Toulouse, Filière Equine at Mondeville, Industries et Agroresources, at Laon, Nutrition, Santé, Longévité, at Lille, Valorial (foodstuff innovation) at Rennes, Pôle Filière Produits Aquatiques at Boulogne sur Mer, Cereals Valley at Chappes, Innovation Fruits et Légumes at Avignon, Vitagora (condiments) at Dijon, Qualitropic in Réunion,Végépolys (seed, arboriculture/horticulture) at Angers, Prod’innov (manufacturing processes, nutraceuticals) at Bordeaux, Q@li-mediterrannée (sustainable agri-food systems and Mediterranean quality of life) at Montpellier, Innoviandes at Clermont-Ferrand, Parfums, Arômes, Senteurs, Saveurs (PASS) at Grasse.

Invest in France Agency (IFA) promotes and facilitates international investment in France. The IFA network operates worldwide. IFA works in partnership with regional development agencies to offer international investors business opportunities and customized services all over France. For more information, please visit www.investinfrance.org.

For more information, please contact:

INVEST IN FRANCE NORTH AMERICA
Amanda Hilson
810 Seventh Ave.
New York, NY 10019
Tel: (212) 757-9340
Fax: (212) 757-1568
E-mail: amanda.hilson@investinfrance.org
Web: www.investinfrance.org/northamerica

or:

FRENCH TECHNOLOGY PRESS OFFICE
205 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 3740
Chicago, IL 60601
Fax: (312) 327-5261
E-mail: contact.ftpo@ubifrance.fr